Laura Zue Childress-Hazen

Dr. Laura Zue Childress-Hazen, 61, of Churchill, born on April 9, 1963, passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Laura’s life was filled with faith, love, laughter, beautiful music, adventures, a giving heart, a desire to serve those most in need, and a desire to spend time with her family. She practiced psychiatry as a profession, but it was more of a Godly calling on her life as she served the homeless and hurting for the majority of her career. She knew every person counted and that every one deserved to be heard and helped. Her career positively impacted entire communities and her example was admired and embraced by those who knew and loved her. 

While she resided and practiced medicine and raised her beautiful daughter, Katie, in Pittsburgh, her home was always Florence, Kentucky. She was a graduate of Boone County High School were she was active in sports, band, and named salutatorian at graduation. She attended Thomas Moore College for her undergraduate degree and told stories all the time of the antics she and her friends would get up to, especially while working on the Ohio River biology station. Her medical degree was accomplished at Louisville Medical School. She was an incredibly hard worker and never asked anyone to do anything unless she was willing to be right there beside them. 

Even in the midst of so much studying and reading, she found ways to lighten the mood by playing cards or her guitar with her classmates. She was a talented musician and her guitar traveled with her everywhere she went. She could play to a large crowd or just to her little great niece and the joy was always full throttle in the room. She was always the first one in the pool, on the rollercoaster, dancing like no one was watching, playing volleyball and basketball like she was still in high school. She was just an incredibly great person and will be missed greatly by family and friends. One of her standard pieces of attire was tie-dyed clothes. The beautiful, melodic patterns were a perfect representation of this amazing woman. 

Laura leaves behind her beautiful and gifted daughter Kathryn Foster Hazen Gushing and her husband Jacob; her loving father Charles Louis Childress; proud sisters Linda Louise Black (Don) and Julia Sue Childress; sister-in-law, Cindy Childress; nephews and nieces, Donald L. Black (Miranda), Michael A. Black, Maeve J. Black, Stella C. Childress, Audrey C. Childress, and Samuel C. Childress; great niece Eden Louise; and her faithful huskies, Rocco and Remi. Laura was preceded in death by both maternal and paternal grandparents (Childress/Price), her mother Kathryn Louise Childress (Kitty), her brother Charles Price Childress (Chip), nephew Adam Christopher Black, and her namesake Zue Anne Price (Aunt Zue). 

There will be a celebration of life in Florence, Kentucky in the near future. This information will be shared through social media and we hope that you can come and celebrate the life of the amazing mom, daughter, sister, aunt, niece, and friend. Wear tie-dye if you have it!

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.